Movable partitions are utilized in numerous situations and environments for a variety of purposes. Such partitions may include, for example, a movable partition comprising foldable or collapsible doors configured to enclose or subdivide a room or other area. Often such partitions may be utilized simply for purposes of versatility in being able to subdivide a single large room into multiple smaller rooms. The subdivision of a larger area may be desired, for example, to accommodate multiple groups or meetings simultaneously. In other applications, such partitions may be utilized for noise control depending, for example, on the activities taking place in a given room or portion thereof.
Movable partitions may also be used to provide a security and/or fire barrier. In such cases, the partition barrier may be configured to automatically close upon the occurrence of a predetermined event such as the actuation of an associated alarm. For example, one or more accordion or similar folding-type partitions may be used as a security and/or a fire barrier wherein each partition is formed with a plurality of panels connected to one another with hinges. The hinged connection of the panels allows the partition to fold and collapse into a compact unit for purposes of storage when not deployed. Thus, the partition may be stored, for example, in a pocket formed in a wall of a building when in a retracted or folded state. When deployment of the partition is required to subdivide a single large room into multiple smaller rooms, secure an area during a fire, or for any other specified reason, the partition may be deployed along a track, which is often located above the door in a header, until the partition extends a desired distance across the room.
In some applications, it is desirable to provide a seal along the peripheral edges of the movable partition to improve the efficacy of the partition as one or more of a visual barrier, a noise barrier, a barrier to smoke or fire, a climate barrier, and a security barrier. For example, it is known to attach a strip of polymer material to the bottom of a movable partition such that the polymer material extends between the lower edge of the movable partition and the surface of the floor below the movable partition. The strip of polymer material is attached to the lower edge of the movable partition and is sized and configured to contact the surface of the floor, but is not attached to the floor. Thus, as the movable partition is moved relative to the floor, the strip of polymer material sweeps across the surface of the floor. As a result, those in the art often refer to such strips of polymer material as a “sweep” or a “sweep strip.”
It is known to attach a sweep strip to the lower edge of a movable partition using a plurality of clips, which are often referred to in the art as “sweep clips.” For example, on partitions that include a plurality of panels attached to one another by hinges, a clip may be attached to the lower end of each panel, and the sweep strip may be attached to each of a plurality of the sweep clips. Each sweep clip may be provided with a feature (e.g., a channel) having a geometry that is complementary to the geometry of a feature (e.g., a bead) provided on the sweep strip. Thus, the features on a plurality of sweep clips may be engaged with the complementary feature on the sweep strip to attach the sweep strip to the sweep clips and, hence, to the lower edge of the movable partition.
It is also known to use the sweep clips as protective clips to cover the lower ends of the panels of the movable partition. The panels may be formed of a material, such as metal, that exhibits a tendency to have sharp edges and corners, which may injure a person's feet or ankles that contact the sharp edges or corners of the panels. Thus, it is known to provide sweep clips with a protective guard portion to cover such sharp edges or corners of the panels. Such sweep clips are attached to panels of the movable partition by abutting the sweep clip against a bottom of the panel and fastening the sweep clip to the panel using, for example, a rivet.